Hafnium and zirconium have similar chemical and physical properties. Because of these similar properties, the synthesis of hafnium nitrate, or tetranitratohafnium, may be analogous to the prior art synthesis of tetranitratozirconium; Field et al., Tetranitratozirconium (IV) A New Volatile Compound, Proc. Chem. Soc. 1962, pp 76-77. Field et al. carried out their reaction using zirconium tetrachloride and dinitrogen pentoxide as starting compounds. Their final product was obtained by refluxing zirconium over dinitrogen pentoxide as shown in Eq. 1:ZrCl4+4N2O5→Zr(NO3)4+4NO2Cl  (1)Dinitrogen pentoxide was produced using P2O5 to remove the water from fuming nitric acid, HNO3, as shown in Eq. 2:2HNO3→N2O5+H2O(2)  (2)The generation of dinitrogen pentoxide was performed by using an ozone generator to oxidize N2O4, as shown in Eq. 3:N2O4(g)+O3→N2O5+O2  (3)The synthesis of zirconium nitrate occurs according to Eq. 4:ZrCl4+4N2O5→Zr(NO3)4+4NO2Cl  (4)The apparatus used to generate dinitrogen pentoxide is very complex. Because dinitrogen pentoxide is unstable, the storage of this compound requires special facilities. Thus, the formulation of hafnium and zirconium nitrates in preparation of oxides for ALCVD, according to the prior art, requires complex equipment and special storage facilities. It is desirable to provide a simple means of formulating the desired precursor compounds.